Benefits Program Manager
University of California Office of the President
in CA

Financial Analyst - Health & Welfare Plans
University of California Office of the President
in CA

Chief Operating Officer
Alpha Pension Group
in MA

ESOP Analyst
Newport Group
in AL, AZ, CA, FL, IA, IL, KS, MA, MO, NC, TX, VA, WI

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Health Reform: Beyond the Basics - Marketplace Appeals Process
RECORDED
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Maryland’s New Healthy Working Families Act
March 20, 2018 in MD
Smith & Downey, P.A.

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[Guidance Overview]

IRS Releases Sample Notice of 2015 Employer Shared Responsibility Liability
"The IRS has released sample Notice CP220J, which will be used to notify applicable large employers (ALEs) that the IRS has charged them, for one or more months, an employer shared responsibility payment (ESRP)... ALEs receiving the Notice should already have received a Letter 226J and hopefully were able to make any necessary changes to their prior reporting to minimize their ESRP liability[.]"
Thomson Reuters / EBIA

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ACA Reporting Requirements and Lessons Learned

March 5 webinar. Despite the uncertainty of the ACA's future it remains the law of the land. This webinar covers lessons learned from the past two years and identifies focus areas to prevent problems next year. CE credits. Discount for BenefitsLink readers.

[Guidance Overview]

Austin, Texas Mandates Paid Sick Leave
"Employees accrue paid sick leave at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked in the city of Austin, which an employee can begin using as soon as it is accrued.... A yearly cap is allowed, which varies depending on the size of the employer.... Employers who have an employee handbook must include a notice of employee rights and remedies under this ordinance in their handbook....This marks a distinct departure from Texas law, which generally does not require employers to provide any specific leave time for employees."
FordHarrison

Compliance Issues That Should Be on Your Radar Screen for 2018
"Employers finalizing their 2017 reporting should be aware of issues raised by the IRS in 2015 employer shared responsibility assessment letters (Letter 226J) that the agency began to send last fall.... New disability rules apply in April.... Wellness plan rules in flux.... Mental health parity in crosshairs again.... Expected guidance on HRAs."
Mercer

Franchisers Say Health Plan Rule Needs Joint-Employer Protection
"A franchise group and three lawmakers want to make sure that franchises and small businesses wouldn't be put in jeopardy of joint-employer liability under a proposed [DOL] rule to expand association health plans.... The International Franchise Association and Reps. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) are telling the department they support the proposed regulation but want a 'safe harbor' from any new joint-employer liability as a result of participating in a plan."
Bloomberg BNA

Eliminating the Individual Mandate Penalty in California: Harmful But Non-Fatal Changes in Enrollment and Premiums
"18 percent of enrollees in California's individual market in 2017 say they would not have purchased insurance in the absence of a penalty, [but] the substantial majority of lower-risk enrollees would still have purchased. Based on this changing risk mix, [the authors] estimate that eliminating the mandate penalty would have caused premiums to rise 5 percent to 9 percent in California's individual insurance market plans."
Health Affairs

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Online Learning Course: COBRA

Even with ACA coverage easier for individuals to obtain, group health plans must continue to offer COBRA coverage. This course explains technicalities of COBRA, including who is entitled and how to administer.

Congress Races the Clock in Quest to Bring Stability to Individual Insurance Market
"[A] bipartisan group of senators and House members has been working since last summer on measures to keep prices from rising out of control and undermining the individual market ... Insurers have until summer to decide if they want to continue to sell policies in the ACA marketplaces, but many start making preliminary decisions as early as April. In the absence of congressional action, insurers say premiums will go up in 2019 due to the uncertainty -- raising costs for consumers and the government."
Kaiser Health News

Press Releases

International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Introduces Innovative New Program by Harvard Medical School
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans [IFEBP]

403(b)wise launches the 403(b)wise Fiduciary Advisory Directory
403(b)wise

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